Eclipse
by Vegetarian Salad
Summary: NaruSasuNaru oneshots. Chapter 2, in which Sasuke finds warmth.
1. Chapter 1

Water sprayed across the flowers, splattering across the petals like a sprinkler against a window, dying their vibrant colors a shade darker with wetness. They were a rainbow of reaching fingers, soaking in light and water at once, and green stems swayed like dancing hands, waving to the song of springtime.

Sasuke frowned at how utterly inappropriate the neat bed seemed here, backed into a corner by desolation, a meadow of dying grass that barely qualified as the yard of a dilapidated building that barely qualified as any kind of home. He leaned against a cracked doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest, the creases around his mouth deepening as he watched his teammate, whose thumb over the end of the hose caused the shower. "_Flowers_, dobe?"

Naruto's face was already set in a scowl when his blue eyes turned to glare at him. "Yes. Flowers. Got a problem?"

Thin shoulders shifted beneath a blue shirt, shrugging. "Flowers are for women. What's next? Baking?"  
He ignored the goad, tugging a weed from the edge of the grass and stooping to turn off the hose. Stretching, he straightened, tossing a glance at his friend. "Wouldn't _you _want to do something to make this place look better?"

Sasuke's eyes wandered lazily over the terrain, and he had to admit, it was bleak. Even the sagging tree in the corner seemed tired of living, like it would collapse any moment. "Why not grow something useful?" he offered instead of agreeing with him.

"I do!" was the indignant counter, and Naruto's hand gestured at a spurt of green leaves spouting from a corner of his small bed. "I grow vegetables, some anyway. And they're good!" His smile was proud.

It faded as Sasuke scoffed. "That's not useful. You can go to the market and buy _vegetables._ How about _herbs_ – poisonous or healing?" He shook his head. "And you call yourself a shinobi."

Naruto's response was, remarkably, silence, and he brushed past his teammate into the building, knocking his shoulder unapologetically, and muttered, "I'm going to get my kunai, then we can go."

He stared after the retreating orange figure, eyebrow cocked in surprise. What was _that _about? A tug on his shirt pulled his attention to a small girl whose brown eyes gazed up at him almost angrily. "Why are you mean to Naruto-chan?" Her voice sounded on the edge of a pout, her eyebrows drawn together.

The Uchiha snorted, tossing his head. "I'm not. I'm just honest. You'll understand the difference when you're older."

"If you're his friend, then you shouldn't say his garden is useless." She sat down in the grass, her plump finger pointing toward the plants in question. "Sometimes, when he hasn't been away much on missions, they're all he has to eat." Her face tilted, dirty blonde hair curtaining her face. "I asked Father once if I could take him part of my dinner, but he said that monsters don't need to eat." Her eyes lifted to his face again. "You're his friend. Is Naruto-chan a monster?"

Sasuke felt his heart sink deep into his stomach, a pebble dropping through water. He didn't know if the guilt he was feeling now was a direct result of his insensitivity, or of the fact that he had never _known_. He had never even thought that maybe Naruto had it harder than he let on. _Why didn't he ever say anything?  
_"Okay, I'm ready." His grin had reignited somewhere between going to his apartment and returning. "Ready to be pounded into the ground, teme?"

The dark eyes rolled. "You wish, dobe." That gnaw at his conscience remained, but Naruto would feel worse if he mentioned it. Remembering the little girl's question, he looked down at her, and he shook his head, before following his teammate from the yard. "Naruto," he quickened his pace, so that he walked on past him. "I'm taking you for ramen tonight."

A befuddle gaze turned quickly in his direction, but he kept his own trained carefully before him, his hands shoved in his pockets nonchalantly. As he expected, Naruto seized questioning his motives in less than ten seconds, and a smile graced his face. "Sure, Sasuke, but you're paying."


	2. Chapter 2

"Just _take _the damn thing!"

"I don't _want _it, Naruto."

He growled. "I didn't _ask _if you _wanted _it; I told you to _take _it."

Sasuke glared back. "I'm _fine._ I don't need it."

There was a huff, and they turned deliberately from each other, stubbornly ignoring the cold wind that swept through their clothing. They were stuck in the middle of _hell_, a freezing miserable _nowhere_, and they couldn't go anywhere because it was a mission and they had to finish the mission.

Currently, the two of them were sitting in the snow, pretending they weren't together, while Sakura and Kakashi were off doing something useful, and they had the fun job of standing guard of their camp and waiting for them to come back. "Why did he take Sakura-chan, anyway?" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, bouncing restlessly around their tiny fire.

Sasuke snorted in agreement. He drew his cloak closer around him, and glared at a nearby tree. He was angry that they got left behind when they were _obviously _the more efficient ninja. But, he wasn't Naruto, and therefore didn't complain. Another shiver rattled him, and he longed for the heat of Konoha. He _hated _the cold.

Somewhere behind him, Naruto let out an exasperated groan, and a moment later, Sasuke went blind as something was dropped heavily on his head. "Will you stop being so damn proud?" He could hear Naruto's muffled voice yelling through the thick warmth of the orange jacket over his ears.

At this statement, he bristled and peeled the article off his person, holding it out for his companion, not looking at him. "I'm not taking it. Keep yourself warm."

Naruto snatched it back, glaring. "I don't need it. I don't get cold." This was true. The Kyuubi kept him virtually insusceptible to winter weather. He barely even felt the wind that swirled past him, snagging in his exposed t-shirt and whipping his blonde hair across his eyes.

Sasuke turned away, folding his arms inside his cloak, and ignored him, waiting as patiently as possible for his teacher and other teammate, attempting to swallow his irritation. If Naruto didn't get cold, _he _didn't either. He wasn't going to lose to him.

But, the coat draped over his shoulders, and his friend's hands held it there, preventing him from shrugging it off. "Just _wear _it." Naruto growled.

Sasuke's eyes rolled, but he shoved his arms into the sleeves, noting first that the jacket hung big on him, and second that the inside was lined with fleece, still warm from Naruto's body heat. To save his pride, he murmured, "How can you stand to wear something this ugly?"

Naruto grinned, plopping down beside him. "It suits you, teme. It takes away from the 'Oh, I can't stop sulking' demeanor. Besides, it – hey, your lips are blue."

Sasuke moved closer to the fire, sitting as near as possible without burning himself. It was below zero, but he didn't think he'd _actually _freeze to death. "They better get back soon." He mumbled to keep from panicking, and huddled into a ball, enjoying the heat on his face. He _really _hated cold.

Naruto sat behind him, and, to his surprise, wrapped his arms around him, pulling him back to sit between his legs.

Sasuke's breath caught, and he squirmed. "What are you doing?"

"Body heat" he said softly, as if it was the simplest thing in the world, and wrapped his cloak around them both. "We'll be warmer this way."

Sasuke swallowed, chastising himself silently. Of _course _that was what he was doing. "I didn't expect you to know any survival skills." His voice sounded even and calm. He hoped it would stay that way.

"Shut up, teme. I'm keeping you from dying."

He did as he was told, surprising himself by leaning back against him, enjoying the way Naruto's hands were splayed across his stomach, and he relaxed, snuggling into the jacket, his eyes closing. It _was _warm this way, he told himself in justification. Naruto _was _warm.

"You're not falling asleep, are you?" The voice was quiet, like he was afraid to wake him if he was. "If you fall asleep, you might not wake up. "His breath was gentle and hot on his cheek.

The strangest impulse raced into Sasuke's mind, and he figured it to be some sort of freezing delirium, but he gave into it, tilting his head back toward Naruto's, brushing their mouths together. _Even his lips are warm_ murmured through his head, and his eyes closed again when Naruto drew him closer, pulling his back flush against him, his mouth eagerly responding to Sasuke's, his fingers gently tangled in his hair, resting against his jaw, like this had been the idea all along. "You'll have to keep me awake, Naruto." He smirked into the kiss, and Naruto accepted the challenge.


End file.
